Only Vargas can save Duque’s ass in Congress

Before the local elections, Duque was already suffering major governability issues as he was unable to obtain a steady majority in Congress.

This led to an almost chronic inability to push through his party’s far-right agenda, plummeting approval ratings, the election defeat and the largest anti-government protests in more than four decades.

With Uribe with one foot in jail and the CD at the point of implosion, Radical Change boss German Vargas seems the only person who can save Duque from 31 months of political hell.

Vargas is notoriously shrewd though and has a political clout Duque could only dream of. Radical Change’s support for the forming of a stable majority coalition is going to come with a major price tag.

But with his approval rating practically on the floor and the coalition Conservative Party increasingly rebellious, Duque has no option but to share power with Vargas.

The anti-government protests that won’t go away

Allowing Radical Change into government would allow Duque and Vargas to take control over Congress and push through legislation.

But such coalition is likely to have an adverse effect on the anti-government protests that have been ongoing since November 21.

Vargas joining Duque’s coalition would motivate many young protesters to step up their protests in rejection of the traditional dynasty politics they feel does not serve the public.

Without the support of the progressive mayors, Duque will not be able to use the police departments to violently repress or quell the marches.

But with Vargas’s political experience and network of local barons, Duque may find a more intelligent way to deal with the unrest and finish his term without going into history as the worst president in the republic’s history or worse, face the possibility of criminal charges before the International Criminal Court for the rest of his life.

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